Closing chain



Aug. 23, 1932. C, RORABECK 1,872,820

CLOSING CHAIN Filed Nov l, 1929 Patented Aug. 23, 1932 i UNITED sIATEs PATENT oFFIca l.

CLAUDE HoHABi-ioinfor CHICAGO `Hnian'rsil ILLINOIS, AssICNOit TvoAI/IEHICAN i/IiaN-V GANESE STEEL eOivIPaNY,` or CHICAGO HEIGHTS, ILLINOIsiI` CORPORATION on M AINE CLOsINe` CHAIN Application inea November i,` 1929.` seriai 'M 403,950'- .Y1

ThisV invention relates toimpvroveinents in the design of lchain links anda method of making the same and principally to a method link. Y a Y v 1 .Figure 3 is a` ysideview of an inside chain for constructing the improved links'by cast- 5 ing from manganese steel.

A common designof chain which has been heretofore manufactured consists of a plurality of links, each of which is composed of a A plurality of separately formed link parts generally comprising members of elliptical shape having a pair of spaced openings to re- Y ceive the connecting link pins. The plural-1l ity of link parts are arranged in parallel po-V sitions so that their openings are aligned thus, if there are five link parts, the next adjacent link will be composed of four link parts so that the ends will be received in the spaces between the ve link parts. It will be noted that the link pin is passed through the re- 1 ceiving openings of the connected links de scribed, thus there will be nine bearing points serving to transmit the load imposed upon of the holes forming the link parts are not sufficiently accurate, certain of .the bearing openings will receive a greater portion of the load thus resulting in deformation of theV openings. It has been found especially difficult toV provide perfect alignment of the openings when the separate parts are cast from manganese steel and a grinding operation has l i illustrated in plan in Figure 1, which 4may `be either the outside Vor insidelinkunit, the

been required. The cost of such operation is prohibitive.

, It is therefore the purpose of rnyy invention i '35 to provide a chain of the type mentioned which may be manufactured of manganese :1.

steel without resulting in the objections mentioned above and my invention resides in cast. ing the pluralityof link parts 'constituting' '40 one link in a single unit by providing a nar-` row tie web between each of the parts. The

casting so formed may be nished by broach-V ing the aligned openings at each end of the` Figure l is a plan Vview of a chain link shown inassociation with a lix'ture for Iinishing with fa broaching tool.

Figure 2 isja side lview of an outside chain link adapted to cooperate with the link shown in'FigureZ. 'l fp f f Figure 4 is a plan `view of an end connect- ..ing link, `and f Figure 5 is a side view of the link. shown -in Figure l. o

Thefpre'sent invention is concerned with `:theWdevelopm-:nt of, a heavyV duty warping chain,' which, in former practice has been Vmade up byv providing a plurality ofparal? lellydisposed cast link parts whichl are connected to `azlyacent groups of link parts by means of connecting linkpins. If the openings whichare formed in the individual link 'parts are t4not equallyy spaced, there `will Vbe l an uneven loading and `furthermore a strain A4isfplaced -upon the heads of ,the link pins. the chain. Thus if thespacing or alignment `f ccording 4to the present invention, each cast may have the openingsV at each end breached in a singleoperation, in uniformly align the holes. i`

One form of the improved link unit is side elevation of anoutside link being illustrated in Figure 2, and the side elevation of an inside-link unit being illustrated `in Fig-V lure 3. The construction lcomprises a -plurality fof plates l, 2, 3 and 4- which are formed with an eye 4in each end,fcored open- Sings 5 being formed at one end and. cored `openings 6 being .provided at theV opposite end.` The plates are connected by` a vweb forinin section such as shown in Figures 2 and 3 inwhich the'pnarrowe'st part islat the center portion of the link thev web order yto e y, so

1o-inent withl thefouter eye :portions'atthe op# y*fposite Tend are spread i closer together Elin this case and havey a width equal to two of the eye portions. linkunit L0 'is' curvedas' at 43 for thepur- 15 pose described. Aligned openings @Pare K formedat one end and l-atthe other;v

V"It'will be understood 'thatyario'us modi- Jiied forms of link units maylbefdesigned, all '1 of which essenti'allycornprise a pluralityo l`7 2() lload transinitting1portionsformed` with a plurality of aligned openings. j'lt be A"apparent that 'casting' such units `Willnot yreA sult in perfect alignmentk of the., open-ings 2. An articulated chain composed of a plurality of pivotally connected links,'eachv of said links comprising an integral casting l lof manganese steel forming a plurality of relatively narrow link plates'having curved ends spaediapart Substantially-equal t0 the itliiclmessepfthe ndiridua1-fnlatsaby transverse webs extending n. centrally 'therebetween; said transverse webs. being substan- 1 tially .narrow-Flin.. adirection` lengthwise .of ,-=the= 2link yand. decreasing inethickness l YAfrom the upper and lower sides of thegilin'k toplates having aligned'transverse openings yp'fo'ecober. 1929.

`Vand"there'fore'in order todinishthefhole's,or fV l A 25 openings vto `'thecorrect `sizes and alignment, y y y' i i v ity vis preferable that aV breaching Opration )be performed'k upon each integrallylcastlink u y Y junit.' .'.Figure illustrates thejrnanner v.of carrying out t a broaching operation? in which '.30' lalixture 50 isprovided'tio'receive allink unit Vwhich isheld atene end by theloeating pin j'5l 4passedthrough the aligned openings.

rards the central portion thereof, said link l Y'The openings at the otherfend of the" link .unitrrna-y then be broached by v passingf'the v 1135""broaching tool Y52 through'the openings. jIt

` will be apparent vthat such-1amethodwillV result in perfect alignlrgnentV ofthelinkpin'receiving openings. Therefore whenjsuch a link isY assembled, the load transmitting ears ...R40 or eyeportionswill'receive-equalfportions@ifV Y ithe'llo'ad and furthernthe provision ofx fthe tyingwebs will Veliminate thestrainwllfflhl l f might otherwisefall uponfthejheads of the Y lconnecting link pins.

Although I have describefiY melena @efj g y Y v,tain preferred forms. 0f ljnkruntsvuitrwu be' v' ",apparent that inanyyariations maybe, ren* sorted to without departing frornjthespirit "of my invention :as `expressed injthe append- 50 ed claims. j

I claimt `-pluralityv `of pivotally-connectedv links', each of said'links-comprising an integral casting l' -ctl55':of manganese'steely formed tozconsist .of a

A.plurality .of.parallelly-disposed:link plates,' i

p 1.- An articulated *chaincomposed-ofi a i i .f-eachofarfwhichjhas'.a thickness amate,rially f :-less than fthe lengthof said plates, saidV plates being spaced apart substantiallyequal Y y 5.66 tothe thickness of theindividual plates by transverseA webs, extending centrally therebetweemA said webs being jrelativelynarrow A yf in .aedirection lengthwise ofthe vlink `andhsaid link Vplateshaying aligned openings ateach g5 endpj adapted to receive link pinsr for pivot- 'ally connecting adjacent 'lin 

